The third chapter of Matthew's gospel began with "In those days...", a statement which he used to ground the historicity of the account of John the Baptist that followed. In addition, those days preceding the ministry of John the Baptist were days when the Word of God was as scarce as hen's teeth. His advent on the scene in the wilderness of Judea raised a lot of dust, not just because he was calling Jews to be baptised but also because he PREACHED that God's kingdom was around the corner. This teaching on the first verse of Matthew chapter 3 jump starts our ride through the phenomenal chapter.